More space for pedestrians, less for cars. This is the result of a referendum in Paris. Hundreds of streets are to be converted into pedestrian zones in the future. Voter turnout was very low.
Parisians have decided to close hundreds of streets in the city to car traffic. In a referendum held last weekend, a majority supported the idea of turning 500 streets into pedestrian-only zones, or zones where cars are prohibited.
Only about four percent of registered voters – of whom there are about 1,4 million in Paris – participated in the referendum.
What exactly does that mean?
In the coming years, around 10.000 parking spaces could "disappear" in Paris. Drivers will have to find alternative routes. At the local level, it has yet to be decided which streets will be converted. There should be around 20 in each of the city's 25 neighborhoods.
Traffic transition in Paris
Paris has been pushing for a green transport transition for years, ever since Socialist Mayor Ana Hidalgo took office. The French capital is a role model for many in this regard.
Around 220 streets in the city (out of a total of more than 6.000) are already closed to cars. In particular, cars are banned near schools. In many parts of the city, a speed limit of 30 km/h is in force.
This is the third time that the city government has called on citizens to decide on the modalities of transport policy at the polling stations. In April 2023, the City of Paris organized a referendum on banning electric scooters for rent on the street, and in February 2024 on increasing parking fees for larger cars, such as SUVs. Both times, the turnout of citizens at the polling stations was very low.
Opposition opposes street closures
The Paris city authorities have declared the result of a referendum on converting an additional 500 streets into pedestrian zones as a kind of decision against noise in the city, or rather, to improve air quality. Ana Hidalgo stated that greening the streets can also fight climate change.
Parisians, for example, in the Montmartre district, are critical of the green transition. In that district, there is a group of citizens who are fighting against the closure of certain streets to traffic and their conversion into pedestrian zones. They accuse the city authorities of acting primarily in the interests of tourists and of forgetting the needs of Parisians.
"On the hill in Montmartre, there are people who have lived there for fifty, sixty years, elderly people, families. When you take away their car, you take away their life in that neighborhood," says one Parisian.
The conservative opposition accuses the city authorities of propaganda, high costs and a communication campaign. The opposition warns that blocking streets to car traffic could restrict traders or even emergency teams.
If the opposition wins the 2026 Paris elections, it is possible that nothing will come of the planned repurposing of hundreds of streets in Paris.
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